A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.
Edward Norton
Dr. Walter Fane
Naomi Watts
Kitty Fane
Liev Schreiber
Charlie Townsend
Diana Rigg
Mother Superior
Toby Jones
Mr. Waddington
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Colonel Yu
Juliet Howland
Dorothy Townsend
Ian Renwick
Geoffrey Denison
Li Bin
Te-Ming
Zoe Telford
Leona
Marie-Laure Descoureaux
Sister St. Joseph
Lorraine Laurence
Sister Maryse
Maggie Steed
Mrs. Garstin
Li Feng
Sung Ching
Yan Lü
Wan Xi
Yu Xia
Wu Lien
Catherine An
Hostess
Bill Marcus
Businessman in Colony Club
Maurice Herschtal
Businessman in Colony Club
Shobauro Hiratsuka
Businessman in Colony Club
John Cann
Businessman in Colony Club
Yin Qing
Student 2
Alan David
Mr. Garstin
Sally Hawkins
(Credited but deleted)
Director
John Curran
Novel
W. Somerset Maugham
Screenplay
Ron Nyswaner
January 9, 2021
8
This movie seemed vaguely familiar to my wife like we had seen it before, but it all seemed new to me when we recently watched it. We both enjoyed it. I wasn’t concerned when a few reviews remarked that it moved slowly, as we have always appreciated movies that build a quiet story carefully, and mostly this one did that.
My only criticism is that at the outset of the movie, I didn’t quite believe that Walter was in love with Kitty. He said he was, but I wonder if a scene or two showing him falling for her ended up on the cutting room floor. He merely seemed to stalk her around the party and want to marry her before he left for China. Similarly, Kitty falling for Charlie didn’t seem well constructed. It felt like one scene they stared at each other, flirted a bit, and the next scene they are in bed.
But once I suspended that bit of disbelief, the film was great. Gradually Kitty develops as a character, and her marriage begins to be rebuilt from the rubble of her earlier actions.
The final scene, a few years after the action in the bulk of the movie, brings the story full circle in a satisfying manner. All around a fine movie well worth watching patiently.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$19,400,000.00
Revenue:
$26,910,847.00